It doesn't seem that seeing a certain number of eggs in a nest will trigger a hen to go broody. I think there are a lot of other factors involved, hormones & timing & voices in their heads. You'll know your hen is going broody when she wants to set in the nest at night & all through the day, when she fluffs out and lies real flat over the eggs, when she makes growly noises at you when you reach under her. Then you should be able to put anyone's eggs under her to incubate and she should treat all the chicks she hatches as her very own. She won't know the difference between chicks from her eggs or anyone else's.
Sometimes you get 2 hens who are happy to raise chicks together, other times they'll peck at each other's chicks, even killing them if they get the chance. Sadly, that just happened here with 2 broody hens I had sharing a pen with their newly hatched chicks.
You'll just have to watch your hens to see if they act like a loving extended family or like mother bears.
Sometimes you get 2 hens who are happy to raise chicks together, other times they'll peck at each other's chicks, even killing them if they get the chance. Sadly, that just happened here with 2 broody hens I had sharing a pen with their newly hatched chicks.
